On The Road Again

When your work revolves around travel, you establish some personal preferences, on-the-road routines, and strong opinions. For our Travel Showdown series, travel advisors, industry leaders, and Virtuoso staff are facing off over some of travel’s most divisive topics  – from packing methods to room service. This month, two editors make their case for where to park it at 30,000 feet: Aisle or Window seat? Window of Opportunity Patrick Henry famously declared, “Give me the window seat, or give me death!” OK, sticklers, he demanded “liberty.” But when it comes to the great airplane debate, IMHO, the two are one and the same. Henry was talking about freedom, which the window seat is all about: freedom from beverage carts catching your elbow and toes, freedom from having your destiny dictated by someone else’s bladder, and freedom to simply lean toward the window and fade into one of a plane’s precious few sanctuaries. It’s not that I don’t like to socialize. I do. Just less so if I’m pac...

When your work revolves around travel, you establish some personal preferences, on-the-road routines, and strong opinions. For our new Travel Showdown series, travel advisors, industry leaders, and Virtuoso staff are facing off over some of travel’s most divisive topics – from packing methods to room service. This month, two Virtuoso Life  editors tackle a topic for nearly every trip: check a bag or carry on? My Checked Past Yes, I have in the neighborhood of two decades as a travel editor under my belt. And yes, I still need to pack that belt and probably three others for my next trip. That I can’t head to Europe for a week with a suitcase the size of a throw pillow probably says something deep and abiding (and not good) about my personality. Or maybe it just says I want to feel put-together – and warm enough – no matter where I am in the world. Either way, I’ll admit it: I like checking a bag. I’m not a total diva. I can carry on – and do most of the time these days. But to glide ...

Mexico City is definitely a buzzworthy travel destination. From being named National Geographic’s No. 1 city to visit in 2019 to Netflix’s Roma winning big at the Oscars, the Mexican capital has landed at the top of many travelers’ wish lists – and for good reason. CDMX (short for Ciudad de México) is a cosmopolitan city with endless options for foodies, art and history buffs, and partygoers. I recently spent time with a group of Virtuoso travel advisors who were all visiting Mexico City for the first time. We explored the colorful canals of Xochimilco, ate chapul í n (grasshopper) tacos at Azul Histórico, and danced the night away at some of the city’s most popular clubs. As someone who lives in and adores Mexico City, I couldn’t believe how surprised by the city the advisors all seemed to be. When I asked them why, their answers showed me that traveling and experiencing a destination for yourself is the only way to truly form an opinion about a place. Here, surprising discoveries a...

With so many places to go and things to experience, how do today’s savvy travelers find the right destination? The answer: they work with travel advisors who know what’s hot in the world thanks to attending Virtuoso Travel Week. “Before the crystal-blue views, or the four-star food, or the front-row seats to nature, a lot of vacations start here at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas,” reported NBC correspondent Joe Fryer on the TODAY Show September 15.